Lin said he could not guess how he’ll be received in New York and said he could not concern himself with that. When James Harden returned to Oklahoma City for the first time, he was cheered loudly before the game and booed during, but said the reactions of fans or attention of media is beside the point.

“Just go out there and play the same way he’s been playing, scoring the ball and making plays for his teammates,” Harden said. “We don’t get carried away with where we’re playing. He’s going back to Toronto and New York. Obviously, the media is going to hype that up. He’s just trying to find a way. I think we’re all going to try to find a way to play amongst each other in a better way.”

Still, Lin knows the Knicks especially, will want to defeat not just the Rockets, but their former point guard. His fame brings that to many games, but perhaps to none more than the ones he will play this week.